 He has been the subject of harsh criticism due to trades the team made in the 2017-2018 offseason, moving pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros, and center-fielder Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in an apparent fire sale.Following the two trades, Pirates fans began signing a petition on Change.org forcing Nutting to sell the team to someone who would make the team more competitive.The McCutchen trade did net pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Bryan Reynolds.